Did you know that most people give up on a goal only two weeks after setting it? Despite having told ourselves that it's something we really want to do or achieve, when our goals come up against the test of time, most of them crumble. One of the ways to make sure that our goals stay top of mind though is writing them down, and what better place to do that than in our journals!

While I am all for having a “goals” layout in my journal, for some people that type of terminology can be a bit of a turn off. If time and time again, you're setting yourself goals only to not achieve them, we can start to look at the word in a negative light.

I ain’t saying she a goal digger…

Hi team! Jess or JashiiCorrin from YouTube / Instagram and I LOVE goals. In fact, I have a whole playlist dedicated to goal layouts, setting, planning, and the like. That said though, the term “goal” can leave some of us feeling a little…ick. Rather than try to win you over to the goal-loving-lifestyle though, in this blog post I’m going to give you some fun alternatives that can still help you get what you want to done!

Supplies

It pays to be prepared, so it’s time to grab some supplies! I used the equipment below which you may also find helpful. Remember you can use my code JASHIICORRIN10 for 10% your orders at Archer and Olive; we love savings!

• Archer and Olive notebook
• Pens and markers of choice

Rather watch, then read? For a quick overview of our goal layouts, check out the video below!

Different strokes for different folks

There can be a huge variety in the type and number of goals that each of us set. For that reason, I've made sure to give you a number of options when it comes to these layouts. Some of the ideas are going to be better suited to either short term or long term goals, and some are going to be better for having lots of little goals compared to having a few larger ones. I'm all about people having a journal that works best for them, so as you go through the ideas think about how many goals you want to set for yourself, what period of time you want to set them over, and how you can tweak or change the ideas to best suit you.

Intentions

If the term “goals” is one that you really don't gel with, then a good alternative can be “intentions”. Words can be a powerful way to reframe our thinking, so even just changing the header on what would be a typical goals page can be useful. For this idea, all you have to do is set up your goals page in the way that you normally would and replace the header with a word that resonates better with you.

101 things list

This is one of my favourite goal-related layouts. Similar to what it sounds like, this is a list of 101 things that you want to get done in a certain time frame. Typically, I like to make my time frame one year, but I also don't put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that I 100% the list. Some people prefer to do this layout as a “101 in 1001”, or trying to accomplish 101 things in 1001 days. Depending on the size of the things you select for this list, that could be a lot more approachable! This idea is a fun way to gamify your goals though and say how much you can get done in the time frame that you pick for yourself.

24 in 2024

If 101 things sounds like way too much, then an alternative is a 24 in 2024 list. For this one you would select 24 things, either big or small, that you want to do during the year of 2024. These could be written out as a simple list, all done in a more decorative layout. Of course, for different years you could adjust the number to suit that year, so for the picture below we have 20 things to do in 2020. You can also frame it as “25 things before 2025” if your layout works better with that number of items.

60 before 60

Keeping on the X before X train, you can also think of your goals in terms of what age you want to accomplish them by. For this idea, we’re thinking about 60 things that you want to do or accomplish before you turn 60. Of course, that's quite a few things, but depending on the size and time cost associated with each of the goals on the list, you can certainly get plenty done! If 60 is too many, or your 60th is too far away/close/already passed, you can always change this layout to a number and milestone birthday that is more applicable for you.

Bucket list

The bucket list is a classic when it comes to listing out our goals, and it's certainly something you can set up in your journal. Put simply, this is a list of things that you want to accomplish during your lifetime, or stuff to achieve before you “kick the bucket”. While thinking about it that way it can be a little bit morbid, it's also a really good activity to help you identify what matters to you. Thinking ahead to your final days, what is it that you want to look back on and be proud of? Those are the items that you want to capture in this list.

Cup list

A cup list is one of my favourite short term goal ideas. Like a bucket list, a cup list just contains things that you want to get done, but rather than being for before you “kick the bucket”, this one focuses on a smaller time frame. The general idea for the name is that a cup is a much smaller vessel than a bucket (well… most of the time). Depending on how you want to structure your cup list, you might want to theme it around a particular type of things that you want to achieve, or things that you want to achieve as related to a certain life area. This can be a nice way to keep your short term goals organized. You can also think of this one as a seasonal bucket list, or a small list of things that you want to accomplish in a three-month period.

Apocalist

If you don't so much want to think about your goals list in terms of end of life, a fun way to reframe this is by using the “Apocalist”. While it is pretty much the same thing, the name of this one comes from the idea of having a list of things that you want to do before the apocalypse. This idea comes from the TV show “No tomorrow”, and it's just a fun spin on a typical lifetime goals list.

Goal bingo

While you may have seen layouts like a self-care bingo board, you can also use a similar idea when it comes to your goals. All you have to do is draw up a grid in your journal where each of the boxes is going to hold one of the things that you want to get done. When I do my bingo boards, I like to get a little bit decorative with it and use doodles and different lettering styles to make it look a bit more fun. As you accomplish the goals, you then just colour in the relevant box to show that it has been finished. You can also set yourself rewards for completing the first row, column, diagonal, and then the board as a whole.

While the main structure of the bingo board is just a simple grid, it can be helpful to have a template. If you don't want to draw up your bingo board yourself, then we have some handy printables that you can use to get the job done faster! Click on the image below to download those.

Let’s go goal getting

While these are just some fun but lesser seen ideas for your goal related layouts, what really matters is finding one that works best for you! We would love to see any goal related layouts you make, so if you post them on Instagram be sure to tag me, @jashiicorrin, and Archer & Olive, @archerandolive, in any of your goal related posts!